Tim Lincecum leads San Francisco Giants past Arizona Diamondbacks

Enright allows 6 runs in rare poor outing but is eager for chance to bounce back

by Jim Gintonio - Sept. 7, 2010 09:21 PMThe Arizona Republic

When Barry Enright took the mound in the majors for the first time in late June, he quickly established himself as a quality starter. Matched against many of the top pitchers, he found ways to keep his team in games.

He ran into trouble, he found a way out.

On Tuesday night, he could not find the exit door, and San Francisco grabbed a 6-3 victory in front of 19,417 at Chase Field.

The loss, his roughest outing of the season, was disheartening for him. He's already eager for his next start.

"It's part of baseball," he said. "They're going to get me some days, and I'm gong to get them. Today wasn't my day. It's tough, hard to swallow always, but you see who you are in the tough times, after the tough times.

"So I'm going to work hard the next five days. It's going to (stink), because you're going to be thinking about it every day, but getting out there in Cincinnati is going to be a tough one. . . . I'm going to work hard all week, get out there and give the team the best chance to win."

The Giants' aggressive approach against Enright - Andres Torres hit the game's first pitch for a double off the glove of right fielder Gerardo Parra - set the tone early, establishing a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Enright (6-3), who was seeking his fourth win in a row, gave up three home runs and four doubles.

The Diamondbacks, handcuffed by Giants ace Tim Lincecum through six innings, got to him for three runs in the seventh inning but could not break through against the San Francisco bullpen.

Location was a key issue for Enright, who went six innings and allowed nine hits.

"The other thing is," manager Kirk Gibson said, "is the Giants had a good game plan. . . . It happens. He's pitched great for us.

"I know he's really disappointed. It doesn't feel good to get beat up like that. He has high expectations for himself, but I told him, 'You went out there and gave your best effort, and that's certainly good enough for us. You've done a heck of a job for us, keep your chin up.' "

Lincecum (13-9) retired the first 13 batters he faced before Miguel Montero's single in the fifth inning broke the spell. In the seventh, Kelly Johnson tripled, and Chris Young slapped his 24th home run of the season to cut the deficit to 6-2. Montero also singled in the inning and scored on a triple by Tony Abreu.

Lincecum went 6 2/3 innings, allowed five hits, struck out 11 and threw all four of his pitches for strikes.

Enright said hitters now know that he will be around the plate, and that he has to make adjustments.

"If I would have made better pitches that first inning, whether locating a down-and-away fastball or any other pitch, it probably would have been a different story."

Diamondbacks rewind

Early trouble: Right fielder Gerardo Parra, who has been turning in spectacular plays, got turned around on a fly ball by the Giants' Andres Torres on the game's first pitch. The ball bounced off his glove, Torres was credited with a double, and San Francisco used that as an impetus to score three times in the inning.

"It definitely had an impact on the game," said manager Kirk Gibson, who was quick to add: "I would not put any scope of the blame on Gerardo Parra. . . . He's done an excellent job."

Quick work: Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt recorded his fourth save - and needed only one pitch, getting Miguel Montero to ground into a double play.

Going strong: Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson, who tripled and scored on Chris Young's home run, has reached base via a hit or walk in 111 of his 133 games.

View from the press box

View. That's the operative word. For the first time since June 11, you could see the sky at Chase Field. No wonder there were double-takes as the roof began to roll open Tuesday night. And the view was great. Let's do this more often.